


purple orchids

by efrondeur



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, Established Relationship, Fluff, If You Squint - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9827276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/efrondeur/pseuds/efrondeur
Summary: Keith and Lance finally decide to adopt a dog, and they just happen to find theperfectone.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheSpace_Dragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpace_Dragon/gifts).



> For Mogi, for dealing with a crappy day at work. I'm proud of you for being able to get through it!!
> 
> this is also very hastily edited so please point out any errors to me and i'll get them fixed asap

“God, I’m so nervous,” says Lance. Keith watches his arms move, hands likely wringing themselves under the table.

“Why?” asks Keith.

Lance gives him a look. “We’re adopting a dog, Keith. This is almost like adopting a _baby._ ”

“Is it, though?”

“Yes.” Keith gives him a flat look. “Oh, shut up.” It’s said with a bitterness, but one of Lance’s hands comes across the table, laying atop his own and squeezing for a moment. Keith flips his hand over, folding his fingers over Lance’s hand, and squeezes back.

Lance gives him a smile, but it’s a pathetic one. One full of nerves and excitement and a tinge of fear. Keith sends a sympathetic smile back.

He’ll admit it, he is kinda nervous, but not nearly as much as Lance. They’d met the dog before, a three-year-old Samoyed-German Shepherd mix whose previous owners had simply gotten too old to care for a dog that needed so much exercise, attention, and care. They had just put her into her cage when Keith and Lance walked into the shelter, and they had both _instantly_ fallen in love with her.

Her coat had immediately caught their eyes. She has a subtle golden-brown tint to her fur that becomes more prominent around and on her ears. Her nose is a pretty brown, coming to a slight pink on the tip. She has a fluffy, curled tail that seems to always be wagging. She's slightly bigger than a lab, not too big, not too small. And she has these, beautiful, round, bright purple eyes. They miss nothing, see everything, happily greet everyone. 

She was very calm at first, only starting to jump around and get excited when Lance started to bounce up and down, asking the worker if they could let her out so they could meet him. They were out in the yard with her for almost an hour and a half before they officially decided to adopt her. It was an easy decision, really.

They played with her for about an hour, playing fetch - she would always drop the ball at their feet and sit, wagging her tail - and chasing each other around the small yard. The entire time Keith and Lance were laughing, bright, wide smiles never, _ever_ leaving their faces, and the dog had been wagging her tail the _whole_ time, happy to have young people she could truly play with. He's never been happier doing such a simple, normal thing like playing with a dog, but she made both of them so happy.  _So_ happy.

The other half hour was spent catching their breath. Despite probably overheating under her coat, the dog came up, cuddling in between where the two were sat on the ground. Her head alternated between resting in their laps as the two idly talked, absently petting her. They only went back inside when a trainer came out to grab them, saying another family wanted to play with a different dog in the yard.

They went bag inside with her, handing her over to the trainer and putting her on hold for the allotted three days.

Today is the third day. Today is the day they’re officially adopting her. All they had to do was wait for the boss to sign off on the papers and she’s theirs. Now they just have to come up with a name…

Lance lays his head down on his forearm of the arm that’s holding Keith’s hand, making Keith smile and let a laugh out through his nose. Leave it to Lance for the theatrics. He squeezes his hand again. Lance tilts his head, staring up at him.

“She’ll still like us, right? Even at home?”

“Of course she will, Lance. Why wouldn’t she?”

“What if she’s a really good actor and fooled us into thinking she loves us but she actually hates us? Or what if it turns out that she _is_ too big for the apartment? Or if-”

Keith gently places his free hand over Lance’s mouth. Lance blinks at him, brows pulling together.

“Lance,” says Keith calmly and soothingly, “she seems like a smart dog, but there is no way she could pretend to like us as much as she did. And she’s not too big for the apartment. If the landlord tries to say she is, we’ll just bring up how big Thace’s dog is and that _he_ hasn’t ever been confronted about it.” Keith’s thumb rubs a couple quick circles on Lance’s cheek. “And you’re allowed to be nervous, just know that this is gonna be fantastic.”

Keith takes his hand off Lance’s mouth, brushing back a strand of hair Lance’s hair. Lance leans into the motion, eyes fluttering closed.

“I know,” says Lance. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Sorry!” calls someone from the other hall. Lance and Keith turn, only to see a huge ball of golden-brown-tinted white fluff bounding towards them.

Immediately, Lance pulls his hand from Keith, slipping off of his chair. He squats onto the ground, arms open, as a huge smile breaks out across his face. All previous anxiety is almost completely gone. She does stop right before his arms, looking up at him as if making sure it was okay. It makes Keith’s heart melt in his chest. She was checking to make sure she didn’t scare him and that she was allowed to do this. She’s so precious.

Lance leans forward, putting his hands on her sides and quickly rubs back and forth while he boops the top of her head with his nose. With that, she nearly jumps straight into his arms, nuzzling her head into his chest as her tail wags so much it causes her entire body to wiggle back and forth.

A giggle forces its way out of Keith’s mouth. She really is absolutely perfect for them. Their personalities match up just so - Lance’s outgoing, sheer bubbly-ness and Keith’s caution and near constant fear he’s being a bit overbearing. Lance’s part in her is definitely better than his own, but maybe they can both work on that together.

“Aren’t you gonna pet her?” asks Lance, looking up at him with bright but slightly confused eyes.

Keith shakes his head clear of his thoughts. “Yeah,” he says with a chuckle. He kneels onto the floor next to the two. She backs up from Lance, turning to Keith, and nudges her head into his hands, mouth breaking open into what could arguably be a smile as she starts to pant.

A frantic worker rounds the corner with a leash in hand. “Oh, thank god,” she says.

Smiling politely at the worker, Keith turns back to the dog, and scratches behind her ears, laughing when she closes her mouth, thins her lips, and tilts her head into his hand absolutely loving the feeling. Lance laughs along with him, eyes twinkling.

“Man, she really loves you guys,” says the worker.

“Really?” asks Keith.

“Yeah, she was so well behaved when we transported her here and then when we put her in her cage, but after meeting you guys, she spent half the time whining for you guys and the other half pouting at the back of the cage. We tried to sit and play with her, but no one was good enough.”

Keith and Lance share a look, sending each other smiles full of pure, unadulterated _joy._

“But, anyway, my boss should be out in just a minute to give you your documents. She is all up to date on shots, so you should be all set.”

“Awesome!” says Lance.

“Oh shoot! Hold on, I need to go grab you a bag of dog food. Do you need a leash?” she asks holding up the leash in her hands.

“No, we have one, but thank you!”

“Of course. Alright, I’ll be back in just a sec.”

As she turns, heading back down the hallway she came from, a woman in a button-down shirt and dress pants emerges from a door Keith hadn’t even noticed before.

“Mr. Kogane and Mr. McClain?” says the woman, looking at them.

“Yep,” says Lance, standing up. Keith does the same.

She hands them a manilla folder. “She’s all yours.”

Lance bumps his shoulder into Keith’s, grin so wide it looks like it hurts.

The woman pats the dog on the head a couple times, making her wag her tail.

“Have you thought of any names?” asks the woman.

“No, not yet,” says Keith. “We wanted to make sure it fit her well.”

“That’s fine. Dogs are pretty receptive to new names, just make sure she knows you’re talking to her the first few times,” she says with a smile.

“Will do,” says Lance. He nudges Keith with his elbow. “Ready to go?”

Keith nods, turning to pick up the lavender collar and purple leash they picked up.

“C’mere, girl,” says Keith.

The dog walks a couple steps forward to Keith, closing her eyes as he slips the collar over her head, gently tightening the straps so it doesn’t slip off. He makes sure it can still come off fairly easily, though, as they plan on keeping the collar off of her while she’s in the apartment. He clips the leash to the metal ring hanging off the front.

He runs his hand down her back. “Good girl.”

He catches Lance staring at them, fond, loving look in his eye and soft expression plastered on his face. What a fuckin’ sap.

Keith looks away blushing.

Lance says a quick thank you to the lady and grabs the dog food from the worker when she comes back just a moment afterward. They both had completely forgotten about that.

Keith walks the dog out of the shelter and over to their car. She stays at his heel the whole time, obviously very well trained. Her head swivels around, taking in the new surroundings. Her ears twitch every which way, tail wagging as she sniffs the air. The ends of her fur catch on the light wind, blowing them around and poofing her up even more. The sun hits her just right, making her shine against the dark, almost black pavement of the parking lot.

He’s glad they didn’t park their little Civic too far since he doesn’t doubt the pavement must be uncomfortable hot under her paws. Pulling out his keys, he presses the pad, unlocking the doors and trunk.

Hearing Lance struggling behind him, Keith turns around, watching as he struggles with the bag, which is slowly starting to fall out of his grip. Letting out a laugh, Keith opens the back door, making a motion to the dog for her to hop in; she does so immediately.

He considers helping Lance with the trunk but decides against it. Instead, he closes the back door and leans his side onto the car. Lance tries to shift all the weight onto his right side, but the bag starts to fall. He quickly grabs at the bottom.

“A little help?” asks Lance, not looking at Keith.

“I’ll consider it,” answers Keith with a smirk.

“Well consider it a little faster,” says Lance, groaning.

Keith watches him for just a moment longer before taking pity on him. He pushes off of the car, walking around to the back and opening the trunk.

“Thanks,” mumbles Lance sarcastically.

“Oh, _anytime,_ dear,” says Keith, rolling his eyes.

Lance places the bag in the trunk, shooting Keith a glare that he can’t hold for more than a second before breaking out into a smile. He playfully rolls his eyes, shaking his head at Keith as his smile widens.

Leaning over, Lance pecks Keith’s cheek. “C’mon, let’s take our new baby home.”

Keith closes his eyes and hums in agreement.

  


“Nuestro casa es tu casa,” says Lance, flourishing his hand as if the dog can understand him.

The dog’s tail starts to wag as she looks around from where she’s sitting in the kitchen, but she’s still on the leash. Keith and Lance had wanted to walk her through the apartment on it before letting her loose, but they’ve already done that and she seems eager to roam on her own. Granted, not exactly on her own as dogs tend to pee when they get to new places, no matter how old they are, and they’d prefer not to walk into random puddles of pee everywhere.

Keith kneels down in front of her, grabbing the ends of the lavender collar. He loosens the straps slightly, slipping it off of her head, and stands back up, placing the collar and leash up on the kitchen counter, still connected. She stays seated, looking up at them.

“Go ahead,” says Keith.

She does a little jump before bounding throughout the apartment, sniffing around the bedroom, rubbing herself against the couch, peering out each and every single window, and inspecting the toilet. She seems far too fond of it for them to keep leaving the seat up. Keith makes a mental note to talk to Lance about that later.

After no more than an hour of exploring, she comes and lays down with Keith and Lance on the couch, happily settling across both of their laps. Keith idly scratches at her head while Lance rubs her side.

She falls asleep there, content with her new home and to be cuddling with her new owners. It’s truly endearing how quickly she takes to not only them but their space, immediately accepting it as her own as well.

Keith had been on the fence when Lance said that he wanted a dog, but he is so happy Lance was able to sway him. He already loves this adorable dog so much, he can’t even imagine how the next few years with her are going to be.

“So we gotta think of a name,” says Keith after a while. “It feels wrong to keep thinking of her as ‘the dog’.”

“Yeah, it does,” agrees Lance. His mouth twists in thought, head coming back to rest against the back of the couch. “Daisy?”

Keith thinks about it for a moment. “Ehh. Too cliche.”

“True.”

“What about Luna?” asks Lance.

“I kinda like it… but I'm not sure it fits her. She’s not calm enough to be a Luna.”

The dog picks her head up, blinking tiredly at Keith. There are those beautiful eyes. He’s honestly never seen a dog with purple eyes before, but they suit her. They’re different, _unique,_ but not so out of this world that people would lose their minds over her.

Which gives Keith an idea. “What about Orchid?”

Lance cocks his head. “I gotta ask.”

“She’s beautiful like an orchid, happy and sweet like a flower, her eyes are purple, and purple orchids mean admiration and respect.”

Lance stares at him. “Why do you know this?” He quickly adds, “I think it’s really interesting, but I’m just curious.”

Smiling sheepishly, Keith explains, “I took horticulture in high school, and absolutely loved it. The teacher was fantastic and it just solidified my love for nature… I remember almost everything I learned.”

The fond expression from earlier reappears on Lance’s face, making Keith blush yet again. He shrugs, slightly embarrassed. “We don’t have to go with that, though.”

“No,” says Lance. “I love it. I do have one condition, though.”

Keith hums questioningly.

“Her official name be Orchid the Kid.”

Sighing exasperatedly and rolling his eyes, Keith nods. “Fine. Orchid the Kid, but we’re calling her Orchid.”

“Deal!”

Keith sighs again. “Remind me again why I’m dating you.”

“Because you _looove_ me,” says Lance.

“Yeah. I do.” Keith smiles and leans over to Lance, placing a finger under his chin and thumb on it, gently pulling Lance towards him.

Lance smiles, happily leaning down, pressing a sweet, chaste kiss to Keith’s lips.

Orchid sits up, putting her full weight on Lance’s lap. He pulls back, groaning. “Orchid, you weigh so much!” he whines.

Keith laughs as she turns around, wagging her tail, and licks a solid line from his chin to his hairline. Lance tries to glare at her, but can’t even set his face before she does it again. He laughs completely uninhibited, turning his head as she keeps licking him.

After a couple more licks, he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close so she can’t lick him. Keith is momentarily worried she’ll get scared in the position, but instead, she wraps her head back around Lance’s, pushing his head deeper into her fur.

Keith heart stutters at the sight. God, they don’t deserve this beautiful, loving, adorable, dog. Not even in the slightest, yet here she is.

Lance pulls back, gently moving her over to Keith. Keith gingerly wraps his arms around her, still worried she might get spooked from being hugged, but she does the same as before: wrapping her head around the back of his and pulling him into her fur. He digs his face and hands into her, fur soft and silky like a cloud. The heat of her body is comforting, and the feel of her heartbeat calms him.

His heart is about ready to burst in his chest. A _dog_ is giving him a hug better than most people do, save for Lance, Hunk, and Shiro. And this dog is his and Lance’s. Their companion, their friend, their new roommate. He doesn’t know if his heart can handle this, but for once, he’s okay with that. He’s so happy right now he could cry. He loves this. He loves his apartment. He loves her. He loves his boyfriend. He loves his life. He loves everything.

**Author's Note:**

> listen,, i know dogs eyes can't actually be purple, but let's just pretend
> 
> also, [this is the dog!!](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cd/6b/2e/cd6b2e8d76df0eaf205e0f800f7bd857.jpg)
> 
> comments and criticisms are love!
> 
> please come scream with me on [my tumblr](http://shiros-eyes.tumblr.com/) or [my twitter](https://twitter.com/thememewrites)


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